Lingerie that fastens to itself around a bra support band

ABSTRACT

An article of clothing, such as a lingerie product, can be worn with an existing bra without requiring modification of the existing bra. The article can come in various sizes that will accommodate most women. A large breasted woman can wear a bra that fits her and attach the article around the bra band, creating a seamless look of a one-piece garment. Conversely, a woman with smaller breasts and large hips can wear her own bra with a larger size garment, creating lingerie that fits her various proportions. Currently, there is no product that allows any bra, without modification, to become the foundation for properly fitting lingerie. The present invention can provide lingerie that properly fits women&#39;s various body types.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to lingerie and, more particularly, a lingerie garment that is worn with a separate bra, that when worn together appear as one piece of lingerie. In particular, a bra is used as the support base for the lingerie garment which includes tabs on the upper portion of the lingerie garment that loop around the bra support band and fasten to the inside of the lingerie itself.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Today's lingerie market is predominately geared towards proportionately sized women. That is, most lingerie is made in sizes small, medium, and large. For women who are proportionately sized according the lingerie manufacturer's standards, finding well-fitting lingerie may not be a problem. However, there are great number of women who do not fit within the confines of the manufacturer's sizing standards.

While there may be some alternatives for non-standard sized women, the lingerie is not easy to find. For plus-sized women, there are some stores that cater to the larger sizes. The plus size lingerie is made with larger specifications that are still proportionate to a larger overall body size. This however, is not the standard, so plus size lingerie is not always readily accessible. Additionally, there is another segment of women who have difficulty finding lingerie.

For women with disproportionate body sizes, for example, a woman with small breasts and large hips, or a woman with large breasts and small hips, lingerie is not readily available. When lingerie styles, such as baby dolls, incorporate underwires to support the breasts, the sizes small, medium, and large do not accommodate many women's bodies. There are some specialty stores that offer lingerie with specific cup sizes, but those are very limited and more costly. Moreover, there is no guarantee that with even the proper fitting cup size, the remainder of the lingerie garment will fit as it should.

Custom-made lingerie is an alternative for some women, but it is not a viable option for many. A woman could find someone to manufacture lingerie according to her measurements, but having garments made especially for someone's measurements is expensive. Most women could not afford to have custom-made lingerie.

The problem that is apparent with today's lingerie market is that there is an entire segment of women who cannot find ready-made lingerie that fits properly. Women with disproportionate body sizes are left with few, if any, options for lingerie. Additionally, with the ever increasing number of breast augmentation surgeries performed each year, more women with larger breasts are unable to find proper fitting lingerie.

There are some inventions in the art that provide embellishments to bras. U.S. Patent Application 2010/0293700 A1 discloses an accessory for clothing that can alter or modify the length and/or style and/or appearance of a garment by attaching to the garment itself. This accessory can be used to extend the length of a garment or provide a decorative border to the garment using a method of clamping to the garment itself. U.S Patent Application 2009/0247046 A1 discloses a camisole panel that is comprised of a triangular-shaped camisole that attaches to the user's undergarment. This camisole panel is used to provide a modesty panel to cover the undergarment.

Lingerie is mostly made for women with A-C cup breast size. Other lingerie is made for plus size women. For those women who have breasts larger than C cups and who are not plus size, there is a shortage of lingerie that fits the breasts properly. Additionally, the lingerie that is available does not always fit the various body types/shapes of women who may be disproportionate according to lingerie manufacturers' standards.

As can be seen, there is a need for improved lingerie that may fit women of all shapes and sizes.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of the present invention provides a lingerie garment that when worn with a separate bra will produce a single-looking piece of lingerie that fits a woman properly regardless of her body type and/or proportions.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a lingerie garment that does not modify or alter a separate bra by attaching to the bra itself by a method of clamping, sewing, snapping, hooking, or puncturing. The present invention offers a method of using the support of the bra as the base to which the fastening tabs will loop around the support band of the bra, attaching to the inside of the lingerie garment, providing a single-looking piece of lingerie.

An additional aspect of the present invention allows for interchangeability. Various bras can be used as the supporting base of the lingerie, providing a different overall look to the garment. For example, the lingerie garment is a tight, black and pink lace teddy style and can be interchanged with a black lace bra, a pink lace bra, or another color or style of bra. Moreover, one bra can be worn with several different lingerie garments. For example, a red lace bra can be worn with a lingerie garment to produce the look of a baby doll, or a teddy, or a long chemise gown, or another style of lingerie. This invention creates a multitude of options and combinations that can be worn. This invention will provide an array of various looks, which can be a cost effective means to buying several pieces of lingerie, depending on the style and brand of lingerie.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a well-fitting lingerie garment that is worn with a bra and can be interchanged with other bras. This invention will improve the market of today's lingerie by permitting women of all shapes and sizes to wear beautiful lingerie. Additionally, interchanging the various pieces will be more cost effective than buying several pieces of specialty lingerie.

In one aspect of the present invention, a garment comprises an upper portion; a lower portion attached to and extending from the upper portion; a plurality of fasteners extending from the upper portion, the fasteners having a first connector disposed on a distal end thereof; and a second connector, adapted to connect with the first connector, disposed on an inside of the garment, wherein at least one of the fasteners are adapted to loop around a bra support band of a bra worn by a wearer.

In another aspect of the present invention, a method providing a lingerie product to women having various proportions comprises wearing a separate bra, without requiring modifications thereto; extending fastening tabs disposed on an upper portion of the lingerie product around a support band of the bra; and attaching the fastening tabs to an inside receiving connector of the lingerie product, thereby supporting the lingerie product to the bra.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an upper portion of lingerie attached around a bra support band according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the upper portion of the lingerie of FIG. 1 in an unattached configuration with a bra;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view from the inside of the garment displaying mostly the upper portion of the lingerie of FIG. 1 in a configuration that is unattached around a bra support band;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view from the inside of the garment displaying mostly the upper portion of the lingerie of FIG. 1 in a configuration that is attached around a bra support band;

FIG. 5 is a side view displaying mostly the upper portion of the lingerie of FIG. 1 in an unattached configuration without a bra;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a fastener tab looped around a bra support band in an attached configuration taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a front view of a baby doll version of lingerie attached around a bra support band according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a front view of a teddy version of lingerie attached around a bra support band according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 9 is a front view of a long chemise gown version of lingerie attached around a bra support band according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following detailed description is of the best currently contemplated modes of carrying out exemplary embodiments of the invention. The description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the invention, since the scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claims.

Broadly, an embodiment of the present invention provides an article of clothing, such as a lingerie product, that can be worn with an existing bra without requiring modification of the existing bra. The article can come in various sizes that will accommodate most women. A large breasted woman can wear a bra that fits her and attach the article around the bra band, creating a seamless look of a one-piece garment. Conversely, a woman with smaller breasts and large hips can wear her own bra with a larger size garment, creating lingerie that fits. Currently, there is no product that allows any bra, without modification, to become the foundation for properly fitting lingerie. The present invention can provide lingerie that properly fits women's various body types.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 through 6, an article of clothing, such as lingerie 10, may include an upper portion 16 and a lower portion 18. The upper portion 16 may be contoured to a woman's breast shape and may cover a bra support band 14 of a bra 12.

Fastening tabs 20 may extend from the upper portion 16. The fastening tabs 20 may be designed to fit around the bra 12, for example, the bra support band 14, and may include connectors 24 to attach to connectors 22 on an inside of the lower portion 18. The fastening tabs 20 may be positioned at various locations on the upper portion 16. For example, the fastening tabs 20 may be designed to loop around at least two locations on each side of the bra support band 14. Additionally, a fastening tab 20 may be designed to loop around the bra 12 between the cups of the bra. Typically at least five fastening tabs 20 may be disposed on the upper portion 16.

The connectors 22, 24 may be various connecting mechanisms. For example, the connectors 22, 24 may be snaps, with one connector 22 being a male snap and the other connector 24 being a female snap. In other embodiments, hook and loop fasteners, buttons, or other similar connectors may be used.

The lower portion 18 of the lingerie 10 may be designed in various styles. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, a baby doll version 28 of the lingerie may be designed. As shown in FIG. 8, a teddy version 30 of the lingerie may be designed. As shown in FIG. 9, a long chemise gown version 32 of the lingerie may be designed. Other styles may be included within the scope of the present invention.

The upper portion 16 of the lingerie 10 may be made in various fabrics. For example, the upper portion 16 may be constructed of a stretch fabric, such as tricot, Spandex®, lace of any fabric with Lycra® or elastic material. The back of the upper portion 16 may or may not cover around the back of the wearer 26. The upper portion 16 may be designed to cover some, all, or very little of the bra 12.

The upper portion 16 and the lower portion 18 may be two separate articles, sewn together. In some embodiments, the upper portion 16 and the lower portion 18 may be made as a single piece construction.

While the figures show the connectors 22 on the lower portion 18, these connectors 22 may be disposed at various locations, including the lower portion 18, the upper portion 16 or even at the seam between these portions 16, 18.

To wear the lingerie 10, the wearer 26 can attach the garment around her own bra. The garment, combined with the bra, would have the appearance of one complete garment. The lingerie 10 of the present invention can provide a good fit to women of various sizes and shapes, as the bra size would be independent of the lingerie size (for example, hip size).

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing relates to exemplary embodiments of the invention and that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It should also be understood that the present invention is not limited to the designs mentioned in this application and the equivalent designs in this description, but it is also intended to cover other equivalents now known to those skilled in the art, or those equivalents which may become known to those skilled in the art in the future. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A garment comprising: an upper portion; a lower portion attached to and extending from the upper portion; a plurality of fasteners extending from the upper portion, the fasteners having a first connector disposed on a distal end thereof; and a second connector, adapted to connect with the first connector, disposed on an inside of the garment, wherein at least one of the fasteners is adapted to loop around a bra support band of a bra worn by a wearer.
 2. The garment of claim 1, further comprising at least two fasteners on a first side of the upper portion, adapted to extend around a first side of the bra support band, and at least two fasteners on a second side of the upper portion, adapted to extend around a second side of the bra support band.
 3. The garment of claim 1, further comprising a fastener disposed on a front central portion of the upper portion, the fastener adapted to extend around the bra support band that connects between the two cups of the bra.
 4. The garment of claim 1, wherein the second connector is disposed on the inside of the garment on either the upper or lower portion.
 5. The garment of claim 1, wherein the first and second connectors are hooks, snaps, buttons, or loops.
 6. The garment of claim 1, wherein the upper portion is sewn to the lower portion.
 7. The garment of claim 1, wherein the garment is lingerie.
 8. A method providing a lingerie product to women having various proportions, the method comprising: wearing a separate bra, without requiring modifications thereto; extending fastening tabs disposed on an upper portion of the lingerie product around a bra's support band; attaching the fastening tabs to an inside of the lingerie product, thereby supporting the lingerie product by using the support elements of the bra; and creating the appearance of a single lingerie garment.
 9. The method of claim 8, wherein the fastening tabs include at least two fastening tabs on each side of the bra support band and a fastening tab disposed between two cups of the bra.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein snaps, hooks, buttons, or loops are disposed on the distal end of the fastening tabs, adapted to connect to snaps, hooks, buttons, or loops disposed inside the lingerie product. 